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Accessible Housing Matters UK Podcast

@accessiblehousingmatters

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🎙️ Accessible Housing Matters UK
🏡 Hosted by Ruth Hunter
💬 Accessible housing conversations
🌍 Insights from experts
🔑 Empowering inclusive homes

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What if the biggest barrier disabled people face isn’t their disability… but the homes we build?

In the latest episode of Accessible Housing Matters UK, I sat down with accessibility consultant and advocate Luis Canto E Castro for a powerful conversation about the reality of living in inaccessible housing.

From unsafe door thresholds and inaccessible bathrooms, to the emotional toll of fighting for basic adaptations, Luis shares firsthand what so many people across the UK are experiencing every day.

One of the most shocking parts?

Despite needing major adaptations, Luis was refused support through the Disabled Facilities Grant because the system only looked at household income, not the actual cost of living with a disability.

We talk about:
✨ Why accessible homes should be built properly from the start
✨ The flaws in the DFG system
✨ How developers continue to remove accessibility from schemes
✨ The importance of independence, dignity and quality of life
✨ Why lived experience must shape housing policy

This episode is honest, emotional and incredibly important.

Accessible housing is not a luxury.
It’s not a niche.
It’s basic human dignity.

🎙️ New episode of Accessible Housing Matters UK out now.

#AccessibleHousing #UniversalDesign #InclusiveDesign #DisabilityAwareness #PropertyDevelopment HousingCrisis Accessibility LifetimeHomes IndependentLiving AccessibleHousingMattersUK by @accessiblehousingmatters

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5 months ago

From homeowner… to homeless in 6 months.

Not because he failed.

Because the system did.

In this week’s podcast, Glyn Hayes shares what really happens when housing isn’t accessible.

👉 400,000 wheelchair users are living in homes that don’t work for them
👉 Even building 150,000 accessible homes won’t meet current demand

This isn’t a future problem.
This is now.

🎧 Episode out now

🔗 Link in bio

#accessiblehousing #inclusivedesign #ukhousing #propertydevelopment #housingcrisis by @accessiblehousingmatters

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6 months ago

New episode is live on Accessible Housing Matters UK 🎙️

This week I’m joined by Suzanne Tate, founder of Studio TO, and someone who fundamentally changed the way I think about design.

We talk about something the industry rarely acknowledges out loud
that we have designed discrimination into our buildings
and now it’s time to design it out.

This conversation goes far beyond widths, ramps and regulations. It’s about equity of experience. How does someone feel arriving at a building. Who gets the front door and who is pushed to the side entrance. Who belongs and who is made to feel like an inconvenience.

Suzanne shares insight from her work judging the Civic Trust Awards, including examples of genuinely inclusive architecture and moments where new buildings still completely miss the mark.

We also talk about
why accessible as a term can actually hold us back
why compliance is not the same as inclusion
and why mindset change has to come before regulation ever will

If you are a developer, architect, designer or anyone involved in shaping the built environment, this episode is for you.

Because inclusive design isn’t niche
it’s better design for everyone.

Listen now wherever you listen to your podcast and let me know what lands for you. by @accessiblehousingmatters

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8 months ago

After decades of campaigning, reports, recommendations and promises…
we are still no further forward.

That’s the reality.

In this episode I sit down with Lord Best to talk about why accessible housing is still being treated as optional – and who needs to take responsibility.

🎧 Link in bio.

#AccessibleHousing
#HousingCrisis
#InclusiveDesign
#UKProperty
#HousingMatters by @accessiblehousingmatters

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9 months ago

Season 2 is here 🙌

First episode is with Allan Craigen, a small-scale developer building accessible bungalows that actually work.

We chat about planning, piling, drainage, hybrid layouts, level thresholds and why the right architect and builder make all the difference.

If you care about accessible homes or just want to see what really goes into building them, give it a listen 👇

Link in bio.
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#AccessibleHousing #AccessibleDesign #UniversalDesign #Bungalow #PropertyDevelopment by @accessiblehousingmatters

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10 months ago

🎙️ New episode alert!

This week I’m joined by Jack Calveley, a registered building inspector who knows exactly how building regs play out in the real world.

We dive into:

✨ What M4(1), M4(2) & M4(3) actually mean
✨ The biggest mistakes developers make
✨ How to create homes that are safe, legal & adaptable
If you’ve ever felt confused by Approved Document M, this episode will clear things up.

👉 Listen now via the link in bio
#AccessibleHousing #UniversalDesign #BuildingBetterHomes #PropertyDevelopment #AccessibleDesign #HousingMatters by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago

🎙️ New Podcast Episode!

To mark the start of Accessible Homes Week, I launched this special episode on Monday with Christina McGill from @habinteg – one of the leading voices campaigning for better housing standards across the UK.

Christina shares why the current baseline (M4(1)) just isn’t good enough, the social and economic benefits of building accessible homes, and the steps we need to take to make real change happen.

💡 If you’ve ever wondered why accessible housing matters to everyone, not just disabled people, this episode is a must-listen.

▶️ Tune in now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or your favourite podcast app.

👉 Link in bio to listen.

#AccessibleHomesWeek #AccessibleHousing #UniversalDesign #InclusiveDesign #HousingCrisis #Habinteg #AccessibilityMatters #AccessibleLiving #DesignForAll #AccessibleHomes by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago

In Episode 3 of Accessible Housing Matters UK, I spoke with Laura Wood
from Invisible Creations® — and she said something that really stuck with me:

“It’s a lack of awareness that there are better options out there… The better [accessible designs] look, the more normal they look in situ, the easier it is for more people to adopt that approach.”

Laura shared a brilliant example: when designing the Ford Focus, engineers wore arthritis suits and vision-impairing goggles to test usability. The outcome? A car that’s easier for everyone to use.

Most people would never know it was inclusively designed — and that’s exactly the point.

💡 When accessibility is embedded from the start, we raise the standard for all users, not just those with specific needs.

What other examples of every day items and are used daily by the majority of people are actually inclusive design?

▶️ Watch this clip to hear Laura explain how subtle design choices can make a massive impact.

🎧Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts from

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#InclusiveDesign #AccessibilityMatters #DesignForAll #InvisibleCreations #UniversalDesign #ProductDesign #InclusionByDesign #AccessibleHousingMattersUK by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago

🏡✨ “It’s listening to the person that is going to live in that home. Because if you don’t, how do you know they’re going to live their best life?”

This clip is taken from the latest episode.

Building homes isn’t just about policies, drawings, or ticking boxes. It’s about real people — their needs, their voices, their stories.

When you design with a specific end user in mind, every detail changes. Doorways aren’t just measurements. Bathrooms aren’t just layouts.

They become the difference between a house and a home.

🎧 Catch the full conversation in Episode 9 of the podcast — it’s one you don’t want to miss.

#AccessibleHousing #InclusiveDesign #UniversalDesign #HumanCentredDesign #PropertyDevelopment by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago

✨ What happens when you’re disabled and need *emergency housing*?

For @a4iscott from @all4inclusion the answer was shocking.

❌ Too disabled for hostels
❌ Too young for care homes

So the council placed him in an “accessible” hotel… that wasn’t accessible at all.

🚪 Broken lifts
🚪 Heavy doors
🚨 No safe fire evacuation plan

One day, when his key card failed, Scott was trapped in a corridor for nearly an hour — suffering seizures and incontinence before anyone came. Another time, a fire alarm proved he’d simply have to wait until firefighters arrived.

This is what happens when “accessible” is just a *tick-box* instead of a lived reality.

Scott’s story shows why we need homes that are **safe, inclusive, and designed for real life** — not unsuitable stopgaps.

🎧 Listen to Scott’s story on *Accessible Housing Matters UK* (episode 7) — available wherever you get your podcasts or links in the bio.

👉 Isn’t it time we built homes people can actually live in?

#AccessibleHousing #Inclusion #Homelessness #LivedExperience #UniversalDesign by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago

🏡 Minimum standards aren’t enough.
In this episode of Accessible Housing Matters UK, I chat with Georgina & Victoria from OT33 Occupational Therapy about how early OT input can transform a house into a true home for life.

We talk bespoke assessments, real-life design wins, and the hidden needs building regs miss.

🎧 Listen now & start building better: link in bio

#AccessibleHousing #InclusiveDesign #OccupationalTherapy #AccessibilityMatters #FutureProofHomes by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago

🚨 New Episode Alert!

This week on Accessible Housing Matters UK, I’m joined by Chris Lewis – cybersecurity expert, smart home advocate, and property developer – to talk about how smart tech can transform accessibility in housing.

With over 40 years in tech, Chris shares how we can future-proof homes with affordable, privacy-focused smart systems that truly support vulnerable residents. From lighting and locks to water safety and emergency alerts, this is accessibility upgraded.

🎧 Episode live now – link in bio!

💬 I’d love to know: What smart home feature do you think should be standard in all new builds?

#AccessibleHousing #SmartHomes #UniversalDesign #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #Podcast by @accessiblehousingmatters

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a year ago